There’s a saying in politics: sunlight is the best disinfectant. But in Alabama, that light often struggles to reach the murkier corners of power—and when it does, it tends to uncover more questions than answers.
John Wahl, the current chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, has built his image on discipline, messaging and a firm law-and-order stance. He isn’t some backroom operative. He is one of the most powerful political figures in the state—elected three times to lead the party and appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to chair the Alabama Public Library Service Board.
Which makes one question all the more important: Why does a man in that position file official documents using a name that isn’t his legal name?
According to public records, first reported by Kyle Whitmire at AL.com, Mr. Wahl’s legal name is Nehemiah Ezekiel Wahl. Yet on his legally required Statement of Economic Interests, SEI—a document every public official or appointee must file annually under oath—he signs as “John Wahl.” This isn’t a harmless nickname on a birthday card. It is a sworn government document, governed by Alabama Code § 36-25-14, which clearly states that intentional violations can result in a $1,000 fine, administrative penalties or even criminal charges.
The declaration on the SEI leaves no room for ambiguity:
“I do swear (or affirm) that the information contained in said Statement of Economic Interests is true and correct.”
So the reasonable question follows. Is using a name other than your legal one “true and correct”?
Let’s be clear—no one is accusing Wahl of criminal conduct. But the facts are public, and the optics are troubling. This isn’t a one-time typo or a harmless oversight. It appears to be a pattern: official state filings signed using a name that doesn’t match the one on his government-issued identification.
And that’s not just a philosophical issue. In 2022, questions swirled around Mr. Wahl’s voter registration and identity documents after it was reported that he voted in Alabama using a homemade photo ID—produced with help from then-State Auditor Jim Zeigler. While a county probate judge initially accepted the ID, the Secretary of State’s Office later confirmed it was not a valid form of identification under state law. The case was referred to Attorney General Steve Marshall—also a Republican—who failed to act on the referral.
Further reporting revealed Wahl held a valid Tennessee driver’s license under his legal name, Nehemiah Ezekiel Wahl, at the same time he was voting in Alabama under the name John Wahl. That revelation raises a fundamental and fair question: How does that align with Alabama’s voter registration laws, which require individuals to affirm their identity and residency under penalty of perjury?
He is currently registered to vote in Tennessee under the name Nehemiah Wahl, according to records from the Tennessee Secretary of State. Simultaneously, Alabama Secretary of State records indicate he is registered in Alabama as John Wahl.
There is no record of him being registered in Tennessee under the name John Wahl, and there is no documentation showing he is registered in Alabama under the name Nehemiah Wahl.
While there are no records indicating that he has voted in Tennessee, he has voted repeatedly in Alabama using the name John Wahl. The fake ID he admitted to creating, and which he presented to poll workers on at least two separate occasions, carried only the name John Wahl.
Alabama law mandates that voters register using their full legal name. The state’s voter registration form explicitly instructs applicants to “place your full name in this order — Last, First, Middle” and warns “Do not use nicknames or initials.” This discrepancy between his legal name and the name under which he is registered and uses to vote in Alabama raises legitimate questions about compliance with state voter registration requirements.
Under Alabama Code § 17-17-36, it is a felony to register or attempt to vote under a false name or otherwise misrepresent one’s identity:
§ 17-17-36. False registration or voting; penalties.
“Any person who willfully and knowingly votes or attempts to vote at any primary, election, or political party convention, meeting, or election authorized by law, knowing that he or she is not entitled to do so, or votes more than once at any election, or knowingly votes or attempts to vote under any name other than his or her own legal name, or fraudulently registers to vote or attempts to register to vote, shall be guilty of a Class C felony.”
Are there factors beyond the law that we don’t yet know? Are there loopholes? Again, this is not to accuse Wahl of a felony—but to ask what is going on and why he doesn’t come forward with an explanation.
The Alabama Ethics Commission has been explicit about the standards surrounding SEIs. According to the agency’s official guidance:
“A person who intentionally violates any financial disclosure filing requirement of this chapter shall be subject to administrative fines imposed by the commission, or shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, or both.”
Intent is always the key, but that’s precisely why these questions matter. It is not the public’s job to prove guilt—that belongs to the courts. But it is our duty—as citizens, voters and journalists—to ask whether those making decisions about our libraries, our children’s education, and our elections are following the very rules they claim to uphold.
That brings us to the Alabama Republican Party itself. The party’s bylaws, last amended in 2024, don’t explicitly require officers to sign documents using their legal names. But they do emphasize the importance of integrity and compliance with the law. One would think a political party so committed to law and order would expect the same from its top official.
This isn’t about partisan games. It’s about public trust. It’s about transparency. And it’s about the rule of law. Alabama’s ethics statutes weren’t designed to be optional—they were crafted to prevent shadow games, hidden conflicts and quiet evasions of accountability.
Alabama’s voting laws leave little room for confusion, and Republicans have made election integrity a defining pillar of their political agenda. Surely the party’s own chairman isn’t above the hard bark of the law.
There are ways Wahl can assure the public that all is above board—but running to friendly press is not one of them, or is accusing the media of liberal bias. That may work on some, but in Alabama, when there’s blood in the water, we want to know what’s really going on.
If Wahl has a legitimate explanation for why he continues to use “John” instead of Nehemiah Ezekiel on sworn filings, he should say so publicly.
That’s not a political attack. That is a basic expectation of leadership.
